Driving on a disconnected shock isn't much worse than driving on a
completely worn out shock.  You would want to be very careful on curves
and turns if you have speed on.

You want to get the correct nut and bolt.  Maybe a FLAPS or a wrecking yard.

By jacking the van up and down you may be able to line up the shock with
the mounting hole without having to worry much with elongating or
compressing the shock itself.

Mike

Rob Campbell wrote:
> Hi volks-
>
> Regarding my 87 Westy GL (2wd, Bilstein shocks):
>
> Today I heard a repeated thunking sound after each moderate bump I hit in
> the road.  Like an echo... CHUNK-CHunk-chunk-ck
>
> I crawled underneath when I got home and found to my horror that the rear
> left shock is dangling loose.  The lower mount looks intact, but whatever
> bolt runs through it to hold it in place is missing, so that the shock can
> dangle loose.
>
> I am a mechanical novice, so is this possible to address at home by someone
> with very little experience?  What special tools are needed? I imagine
> compressing the shock enough to get it back into place is not easy?
>
> How much should it cost to have fixed if its not something I could/should
> do?
>
> How dangerous is it to drive in the meantime?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rob Campbell
> 87 Westy
> Long Beach, CA
>